Virginia school board meets after coach goes missing amid charges: report

Virginia public school officials They gathered for their first controversial meeting since Union High School football coach Travis Turner disappeared amid an alleged child pornography investigation.

The Wise County School Board held a meeting Monday, nearly three weeks after Turner, 46, was seen walking in the woods near his Appalachian home while authorities were on their way to question him about the Nov. 20 investigation. according to WCYB.

The meeting’s public comment section was reportedly removed from the agenda, angering parents who said they were concerned about a lack of communication from school officials.

However, Chairman Larry Greer insisted that the removal was due to A.J Closed session regarding employmentWCYB reported.

Family says the fugitive football coach disappeared into the woods with a gun

Union High School football coach Travis Turner has been reported missing, according to Virginia State Police. (Leslie Turner/Facebook)

“We have decided that tonight we will not have an open expression,” Greer said.

Greer reportedly pushed back on criticism that the students’ families are upset about what they believe is a transparency issue regarding the investigation into Turner.

“Our main focus is the kids, and we want to keep them as normal as possible,” Greer said, according to WCYB. “We have the resources, we have consulting services available in addition to what they normally have at this particular location.”

Fugitive high school coach cleared as school staff profile amid pedophilia charges: report

Virginia State Police have launched a search for Union High football coach Travis Turner, whose disappearance has stunned the Big Stone Gap community. (Virginia State Police)

Public comment is scheduled to return at the board’s Jan. 12, 2026, meeting, with parents telling WCYB they plan to speak directly to administrators afterward.

The update comes as a Wise County judge ordered any court documents related to Turner’s case to be sealed on Wednesday, WCYB I mentioned.

In the days following Turner’s disappearance, the football coach, who disappeared in the midst of a then-undefeated season, was placed on “paid administrative leave” pending review of an outside allegation, according to a previous statement from Wise County Schools.

Missing Coach Travis Turner Left Without Essentials As Family Urges Him To Face Child Porn Charges: Lawyer

Travis Turner was leading the Union High School football team through an undefeated season when he disappeared from his family home in Appalachia, Virginia on Thursday, November 20, 2025. (Facebook/Leslie Caudill-Turner)

Authorities later announced that Turner was charged with five counts of possession of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to entice a minor. The district later issued an updated statement acknowledging the charges were brought against the employee in question, but stopped short of mentioning Turner by name.

“The individual remains on leave and is not permitted to be on school property or have contact with students,” Superintendent Mike Goforth said at the time. “The department will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as this process progresses. Since this is an active personnel legal matter, the department cannot comment further.”

Turner’s staff profile page was also removed from Union High School’s website in the days after the investigation was announced, ABC 7 said I mentioned.

US Marshals offers reward for fugitive Virginia football coach, warns he ‘may be armed’ as feds join hunt

Turner’s family has since issued an emotional plea for him to return home and face charges, while revealing that the family home had been subjected to multiple searches by officials, according to a statement issued by their attorney.

“Travis Turner’s family continues to cooperate with law enforcement efforts to… Locate Travis. “Their homes and property have been searched multiple times, with their consent,” the family’s attorney, Adrian Collins, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

Collins went on to confirm that Turner was last seen carrying a gun while walking in the woods near his family home, which he did “several times over the years.”

Virginia high school coach labeled ‘fugitive’ as community alleges long-known accusations: report

Turner’s wife, Leslie Caudill Turner, became increasingly concerned about her husband’s whereabouts when she noticed he left without his car, wallet, keys, glasses, contact lenses, cash or prescription medications. When he failed to return home, Caudill Turner filed a missing person’s report with the FBI Virginia State Police (FSB).

The report raised A massive manhunt for The coach, with authorities using drones, K-9 units and foot patrols to try to locate him.

The family’s lawyer noted that criminal charges were not brought “until days after he did not return home.”

A Virginia high school football coach disappears during the team’s undefeated season

“He was neither a fugitive nor wanted by law enforcement at the time of his disappearance,” Collins said. “His wife was not helping him escape, but was asking for help finding him.”

the US Marshals Service The USMS announced it was offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

Turner was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and sweatpants, according to the Virginia Missing Persons Database. Tips can be reported to 911, Virginia State Police, the USMS tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 or online usmarshals.gov/tips.

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The Wise County School Board, VSP and USMS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. As the search for Turner continues into its third week, his family continues to plead with the football coach to come home.

“If Travis has the capacity and ability to comply with his family’s wishes, your wife and children are in distress,” Collins said. “Leslie asks you to come home and… Facing accusations By defending yourself in court. Don’t leave your family to fight this battle without you. They love you and miss you. They want you to know they have your back.”